NATCHEZ — A rainbow of T-shirts proclaimed a story Saturday morning, a story those present were ready to tell the world.

The Miss-Lou has suffered from suicide, the group’s message said, and at Saturday’s Out of the Darkness Community Walk, Miss-Lou residents gathered at the Vidalia Amphitheater to remember those lost, support each other and hopefully prevent the loss of other lives to suicide.

Missy Cangemi knows firsthand how impossible it can be to identify suicide victims.

Her son, Storm Cangemi, took his life last December at age 16, and his friends organized a walking team in memory of him.

The amphitheater lawn was dotted with dozens of yellow T-shirts with “Team Peacock” written on the back in remembrance of Storm and his unique hobby of exotic bird breeding.

Cangemi fought tears as she spoke to the crowd before the walk about her son’s death.

She said her son was happy and constantly smiling before he died.

“Everything you read about suicide says it is a disease. But my son had a weak moment — a lapse,” Cangemi said.

“It’s a different circumstance for everybody.”

Storm’s father, Paul, said his son was caught in a brief, emotional moment when he decided to take his own life.

“He was a 16-year-old kid who made a mistake,” he said.

“But my son had the biggest heart in all the world.”

Paul said he, Missy and their two other children will deal with Storm’s mistake every day for the rest of their lives.

To those who feel suicide is the only option, Paul asked them to consider the damage it will do to family and friends.

“It tears the family to pieces,” he said. “People need to see that.”

The Rev. Bo Swilley from Community Chapel Church of God addressed the crowd about the difficulty of pinpointing those apt to take their own life.

Some suicide victims have family histories of mental illness, some have chronic pain, some chose it as a way to get over the death of a loved one or a life of drug and alcohol or physical abuse, but many are inexplicable.

“(Suicide affects) all ages, looks, backgrounds, genders and races,” Swilley said. “There’s no pattern.”

Swilley said since identifying suicidal people can be difficult, friends and family of victims should avoid taking any blame and relieve themselves of asking what else they could have done.

“It’s was out of your hands,” he said to the crowd in the different-colored T-shirts, each color in memory of a loved one lost to suicide.

Although a list of suicidal symptoms is certainly useful, the best chance for preventing suicide unfortunately falls in the hands of those in the midst of the struggle to live.

Walk coordinator Erin Frith, who lost her father to suicide, said suicidal people often fear the judgment of others, which keeps them from seeking help.

“There’s a lot of judgment around about suicide,” Frith said.

Raising awareness might help those struggling with suicidal thoughts feel less alone, she said.

Awareness can also teach parents and all people to be open and sensitive to those who may be experiencing thoughts about ending their life.

She said survivors of suicide victims can also face judgment, and more awareness about the often-hushed subject might help dissolve the judgment.

The fundraising walk supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention by helping support local and national suicide prevention and awareness programs.

The Miss-Lou walk is one of nearly 220 Out of the Darkness Community Walks nationwide from September through December. The walks are expected to unite more than 60,000 walkers nationally and raise nearly $4 million for suicide prevention efforts.